Omaha daily bee., 1887-07-19
A Petroleum King.

A few days ago, in a hospital of
Vienna, poor and alone, died the son of
a man who, few decades back, was
called the petroleum KING in his Cali.
asan home and was the founder of one
of the most collossa! industries of mod
ern timas, the refining of oil. This man
his name was Adolph Schrelner-
shared the lot of the majority of in
ventors and benefactors of mankind. He
increased the worlds wealth by millions,
enriched thousands, laid the foundation
for immense fortunes, but remained
poverty stricken man. The petroleum
industry in the United States dates from
the "tifties," the first sale of American
oil taking place in 1854, but Abraham
Schreiner, by documents in the archives
of Vienna, produced Illuminating Oil rs
early as 1853. He owned piece of land
IN Boryslaw where, in an opening IN the
earth, he found black, tar-like sub.
stance which the peasants had used from
time immemoral to heal wounds and
greesc their wagon wheels. Schreiner got
the idea that the fluid IN the clay might be
employed in other ways. He kneaded
ball from tine slime, stuck wick into
it, and 1t burned brightly with red
flame until the substance was exhausted.
This was the first petroleum lamp. Later,
Schreiner heard something of disullation,
and determined to try few experiments.
He purchased huge kettle and trans
formed it into a distilling apparatus as
we'll as possible, filled it with the black
earth, and placed it upon the fire to ac-
complish the distllation. But that hap.
pened more rapidly than he wished. The
petroleum exploded, the kettle was
broken into II thousand pieces, and
Schreiner's body was covered with scars.
Hardly recovered from his wounds he
began his experiments again with a
proper apparatus, into the secrets Of
which an apothecary had introduced
him. Here he was crowned with better
success. He gained product which re-
troleum was found. He filed bottle
and sold it to druggist in Dropobyez.
That was in the year 1853. Schreiner
was, therefore, not only the discoverer of
petroleum, but the first who introduced
| it into commerce. The first purchaser OF
| the new fluid in quantities was the apothe-
cary, Mikolasch, in Lemburg The lat.
| ter, who acquired the first one hundred
| pounds for fifteen tlOrins, refined the oil
atively clear and colorless. He was ac'
cordingly the prime oil-retiner. In the
same year the Kaiser Ferdinand Railway
company purchased three thousand
pounds at 100 guidens per one hundred
pounds to use in lighting their sigma!
| lamps. Encouraged, Schrelner enlarged
his factory and began the production OF
oil in great quantities. In 1856 he bored
the hrst oil well in Galicia. He then
erected his refinery and d,stillery. In
1856 the entire works were burned to the
| ground. But he completed them anew,
hoping for better luck. He had hardly
started his motor, when the flames again
robbed him of his treasure, and this time
beyond restoration. His youthful energy
had deserted hlm now that gray hairs
feeble health and age had come. lie
tried to drown his misery in drink auc
died in great poverty, leaving his sor
nothing, save document which stateC
that Abraham Schrelner was the first mar
to discover petroleum for illuminating
purposes and introduce it into trade.
- Adolph Schreiner, the son of the for
mer petroleum king, from whom th'
world hoped great things, went TO ruiz
as a small merchant in Lemberg pro.
ceeded TO Vienna, whore he Travelled from
house to house selling matches. AT las